Conor McGregor will want to hear Michael Conlan’s assessment of those sparring clips with Paulie Malignaggi.
The footage may have been brief, but there was enough of it to be discussed and dissected for that period between the open workouts and fight night where not much usually goes on.
Of course, the main talking point of Conor McGregor’s sparring session with Paulie Malignaggi was whether or not the man who has never boxed professionally before actually knocked the former world champion pugilist down or not.
Malignaggi claims he was pushed, a licenced referee has cautiously agreed with him, but most others seem to think that it was a legitimate knockdown.
How did more people not spot this? https://t.co/Dy6SMC2jBt
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) August 16, 2017
Michael Conlan falls in the latter camp, as he told Villainfy Media. After watching the footage again, the Belfast native seemed pretty sure it was a knockdown, although he hesitated with his reaction because he ‘likes’ Malignaggi.
“I do think it was a knockdown, if I’m honest. I do like Paulie, so I’m not going to talk no shit about him.”
“Conor gave everything he got in that spar and it looks like he was dominating watching those videos. If it’s in a fight, it’s a legitimate knockdown.”
As for what McGregor showed in the videos, Conlan had nothing but praise for The Notorious’s ability. Conlan feels like the Dubliner proved a lot of doubters wrong with his ‘domination’ of Malignaggi.
“I think it surprised a lot of people that he was landing so clean on Paulie. Boxing people are trying to say that he’s not good at it at all. He’s got a little bit of skill, well, a good bit of skill. He’s able to tag Paulie and people probably would have thought that Paulie would have boxed the ears off him, but it wasn’t all that.”
